


Winter Fire

by CherubFace



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I'm sorry it's het, One Shot, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:48:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23096629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherubFace/pseuds/CherubFace
Summary: Beverly Marsh thinks she's in love with her boyfriend Bill Denbrough but she's not happy with their relationship.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh
Kudos: 13





	Winter Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is a het one shot, sorry folks

First loves last forever. At least that's what some people believe in.

For Ben, this rang true. He had been in love with his friend Beverly ever since they met. It wasn't hard to fall in love with her wild red hair she cut short or her freckle faced smile or the way she always made him feel included. But she wasn't his to have. He had to watch her fall for another and remained unlucky in love. He tried to forget her, he really did, their friendship meant so much to him. But she didn't make it easy for him to forget her.

For Beverly, first loves never last. She thought she'd been in love with Bill since they first met. She thought it was easy falling for the boy next door type, with his casual smile, his heart filled stares and how he always took her on his adventures. 

He wasn't a bad boyfriend, he was great. But their relationship seemed too easy. Bill had been the first one to say "I love you" and she said it back because she thought she felt the same way.   
She wasn't sure why she sometimes felt unhappy with him, he didn't make her feel alone but something was missing.  
Then graduation came around.   
They knew they weren't going to the same college, that didn't bother them. They had plans to see each other.

Then she saw Ben at college again. He'd been away during the summer, as had the rest of the Losers who were now scattered and they had all felt uneasy about it but they would keep in touch.  
All the feelings Ben had tried to bury deep down for Bev came rushing back, like lightning striking a tree and splitting it down the middle, flames blazing.  
Bev was grateful to have her friend so close. He eased the storms in her mind and proved to be a great distraction when she needed one.  
They were both making new friends but they always spent their free time together.

But Bev was forgetting Bill. She used her studies as an excuse for forgetting to reply to his texts or booking a train ticket on time to see him.  
So he came to visit her. 

She didn't understand why she didn't look forward to seeing him. Their kisses felt stale, hand holding felt unnatural, cuddling was uncomfortable. There was no fire when they made love. It died down to embers almost too quickly.

Bill felt it too, the lack of love. They talked about it, realising they fell in love while they were at their most vulnerable state, when it was easy to love someone because they needed it.

And now they'd fallen out of love with each other. They couldn't say when it happened but at least they realised before it was too late. They still cared deeply for each other, that would never change.  
But they needed space.

First loves don't last but is there such a thing as second loves? Is it too fast to fall after your first?  
These questions clouded Beverly's mind for a while. She was starting to see Ben in a new light. He was so pure of heart, so wonderful to be around, would she corrupt him like she corrupted Bill?

But she hadn't corrupted Bill at all, where was this coming from?  
She needed space from everyone, she needed a schedule.  
Wake up, eat breakfast, go to lectures, study, have lunch, study some more, take a break, eat dinner, go to sleep, repeat.

Ben missed her but he stayed away, thinking she needed time to get over her break up with Bill. He had friends but he felt alone with them. She completed him in a way no one else could.  
But he didn't push her, he waited. He waited a week, a month, then he waited some more. 

They didn't talk or see each other until their friends dragged them to the same party. They briefly said hello and then circulated, their bodies almost vibrating at the need to be near one another.

Beverly was the first to find him and grabbed his hand, leading him away from the music and the people, the night air jolting them awake.   
Neither one of them said anything. They walked in silence to the dorm rooms, both a little light headed from a couple beers, their cheeks warm, fingers intertwined, their breaths clouding before them.  
They sat on Ben's bed then laid down on their backs and stared at the ceiling in the dark.

"Maybe we should have turned the light on?"

Bev sputtered and started laughing uncontrollably and just like that, it seemed like no time had passed between them.

Everything he said at that moment seemed to be the funniest thing to the pair, even shushing each other.  
Once they'd calmed down they were on their sides staring at each other. They moved closer and soon they were kissing and then they were doing more than just kissing. 

Ben kept asking if it was okay, if she was comfortable, and she kept answering yes, reassuring him with sweet kisses that made his lips tingle like sparklers. He was so gentle yet everywhere he touched her, her skin burned and she wanted more.  
And then the fire was lit inside.

Not a small campfire, a bonfire, bright orange flames licking up to the sky, never faltering to embers.  
Even as they lay in Ben's bed afterwards, curled up in each other, the fires remained in both of them, smaller flames but still bright and full of life. 

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Ben whispered into her hair.

Her cheeks flushed as she looked up into his eyes in the dark.

"Of course!"

He laughed in relief, holding her face in his hands as he kissed her over and over again. 

"We did this all backwards, didn't we?"

"Yes but...everyone has their own way of doing things."

They tried to stay awake for the rest of the night, just talking, kissing, touching the other and still the fires burned within.

Beverly was the first to fall asleep with her cheek pressed against his chest as she listened to his heartbeat and the sound of his voice. His hand wandered up and down her spine, tracing her soft, warm skin.

He looked outside, it had just started to snow. As the temperature dropped outside, they stayed warm inside his bedroom and deep within their hearts.


End file.
